Monday 18 March 2013

Tomorrow’s Papal Mass: Good news from Messa in Latino




The heading is in English: Mozzetta back again. A nice picture of Gammarelli’s shop window, as above. Here is my translation, rather rushed and a bit stilted:

A red mozzetta has just been sent to the Vatican, ordered in great haste only this morning, from the famous ecclesiastical tailors, Gammarelli of Rome.

Tomorrow is the date set for the Mass to mark the “beginning of the Petrine ministry of the Bishop of Rome” and in all likelihood (and it is only in this sense that the haste with which the ordinal was prepared can be understood) the one who is being inaugurated will use it, it is being kept for the ceremony in which he will receive the vows of obedience of a representative group of the cardinals.

We are getting excited over very little, some people will think, but on a more substantial level, it comforts us that Mgr Guido Marini has been confirmed in his functions for the ceremony of “inauguration”, coordinating the Franciscan friars of La Verna who have been called up for service at the altar.

The Mass, preceded by the Laudes Regiae, will be in Latin, except for the homily (in Italian), the readings, the responsorial psalm and the prayers of the faithful, all in assorted languages; while the Gospel will be chanted entirely in Greek rather than in the two sacred languages, as would be the custom in the more solemn papal ceremonies; this seems to spring from a desire to shorten the length of the ceremony. With the same intention of synthesis, the offertory procession will be abolished (and this is good, considering what masquerades that rite has given rise to in the past).

During the offertory there will be performed a motet by Palestrina for four voices, written, appropriately, for the coronation of Popes: Tu es pastor ovium.

Finally, the chanting of the Te Deum will close the liturgical part of the proceedings.

5 comments:

Patricius said...

Thanks for this piece of news. It quite cheered me up!

Dorothy B said...

A pleasure, Patricius. I think there are quite a few cheerful things in the air now.

McCall1981 said...

Thanks for the good news! I hope Mgr Marini is kept around for the long term.

Archimandrite Gregory said...

Thank God for the internet! I am sure that the Pope has been informed of the lack of unity that some of his actions seem to be engendering among the people entrusted to his care. He like the rest of us must remember that it isn't about him but rather it must be about Christ. The Pope is only the Vicar, not the Lord Jesus as he himself recently stated. Now to get him some white trousers!

Left-footer said...

Thanks for you cheering news. My coffee is already tasting better.

Perhaps, like St Thomas a Becket, the Pope will wear papal vestments to please the people (why not?), and underneath, a hair shirt for secret self-mortification.